The Walt Disney Company is a transmedia company that owns ABC television networks like ABC, ESPN, and Disney Channel. It is both horizontally and vertically integrated, allowing it to earn more income through cross-promotion among its properties. Disney produces films, television shows, theme parks, and consumer products for children and families. Its main competitor is DreamWorks Studios. Disney has faced controversies over potential inappropriate content in films and working conditions.

1. Media Company Case
Study
Task 1 Understand the structure
and ownership of the media sector
Danny Watt

2. Disney company
 Learners will choose a media company, (from a
given list) and produce a 1000 word case-study
on that company.
 Choose from, Disney, Apple, Sony (& SyCo), News
Corporation, Google
 Start by telling me what media sector it belongs
to.
 What products it produces (cross-media?)

3. Who owns the company?
 The company was founded by Walt and Roy Disney on October 16,
1923 as the Disney brothers cartoon studio. However the name was
changed to its current name in 1986. Today the company is owned by
millions of different shareholders however the current CEO od the
company is Robert Iger.
 The Walt Disney company owns ABC television groups like ABC, ESPN,
Disney channel soapnet ABC, ABC Family, ABC Kids, Walt Disney
Distribution, Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, Disney Channel,
ESPN, Jetix, Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Walt
Disney Television Animation, Walt Disney Records, Walt Disney
Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Miramax Films, ABC Studios, Playhouse
Disney, Disney Consumer Products, Pixar, Soapnet, Disney Interactive
Studios, Muppets Holding Company, Disney Store, Toon Disney, New
Horizon Interactive, and Hollywood Records also owns Disney Cruise
which they have their own a private island called castaway cay. They
also have their own radio station network called radio Disney which is
distributed in Canada, Nicaragua, Mexico, Argentina and of course
United States.

4. How is it organized?
 The Disney company is both horizontally integrated and vertically
integrated making them a transindustrial media company. This is
because as well as being a vertical integrated company Disney
participate in horizontal mergers with other companies to help them
corner a specific market. An example of this is when ABC's merger with
the Walt Disney Company enabled ABC to cross-promote and re-air
Disney Channel's cable programming on its broadcasting channel.
Shows like "Hannah Montana" can air once on the Disney Channel and
earn more revenue for the same parent company when rerun on ABC.
 This type of organisation allows Disney company to earn more income
and to become a dominate company in the market while at the same
time continue to have their own companies make sure they get all their
normal income.

5. Who are the competitors?
 As Disney distribute everything from action films to children's
films, to TV shows they have a lot of competitors. However their
most notable and worthy competition is DreamWorks studios as
they distribute the next best products. This impacts production
and distribution by making Disney always to trying to keep on
top of everyone else, into making the produce better products
and distribute it in the most popular ways.

6. Who are the customers?
 Disney's customers are most of the general public. The company is so
large with so many co-company’s that they end up producing a huge
number of products every year.
 The demographics of this company are both genders and all ages,
however the younger audience are targeted more. The socio economic
group is also aimed mostly at children.

7. What changes in the
organizational structure have
happened?
 Disney company have never had a major change to their organizational
structure, in fact the only noticeable change is that the company is
expanding in size. An example of this is that Disney recently purchased
the company Lucas Arts.

8. Has Disney had any
controversies?
 Disney company has had a lot of controversies since the company was
founded. Disney has been accused of having sexual innuendo or
references hidden in some of their animated movies, including The Lion
King, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and
Disney's 1999 original releases of The Rescuers. The company has
been accused of human rights violations regarding the working
conditions in factories that produce their merchandise.It has been
criticized also by animal welfare groups, for their care of and procedures
for wild animals at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park, and for using
purebred dogs in movies such as 101 Dalmatians. Animal rights groups
claim movies with purebreds create an artificial demand for purebreds
from people who may not be prepared or temperamentally suited for the
animals, many of whom end up abandoned or surrendered to shelters or
rescue groups.

9. Bibliography
 http://disney.com/
 http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/
 http://web.mit.edu/wysockip/www/535/MIT2001/Disney.pdf
 http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/diversity/our_approach.
html
 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?
qid=20071228103002AANHa4W
 http://www.ask.com/answers/106854761/who-owns-disney

10. Bibliography
 http://disney.com/
 http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/
 http://web.mit.edu/wysockip/www/535/MIT2001/Disney.pdf
 http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/diversity/our_approach.
html
 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?
qid=20071228103002AANHa4W
 http://www.ask.com/answers/106854761/who-owns-disney